Category Archives: Scrapbook

…A further 20% employ only one such expert [in environmental, social and governance matters]. This means that over 500 of these world leading investment companies, managing $6.9 trillion in assets, employ one or fewer experts in responsible investment.

The Principles for Responsible Investment is pleased to announce the launch of its proxy vote declaration system. This is a voluntary opportunity for investors to publicly declare how they intend to vote on shareholder resolutions around environmental, social and corporate governance issues filed or co-filed by PRI signatories in advance of the upcoming 2017 proxy season.

Since it began in March last march the $1 trillion group of investors engaging on this issue has doubled in size to to $2 trillion

70% of companies now have either a comprehensive or partial policy to prohibit antibiotic use in poultry, up from 50% in March 2016

80% of companies report they are now actively engaging with suppliers to monitor antibiotic use

Yum! Brands is the only company that ignored a request for further information

None of the companies surveyed have developed fully comprehensive, publicly available antibiotics policies to cover their entire livestock supply chain

Notable examples

McDonald’s USA has committed to eliminate the use of antibiotics important to human medicine in its chicken supply

London-listed company The Restaurant Group has committed to, ”Phasing out the routine, purely preventative use of antibiotics in groups of entirely healthy animals.”

Wider recognition of the issue

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a joint statement last year saying, “Reducing the use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals, replacing them where possible and re-thinking the livestock production system is essential for the future of animal and public health”. ■

Seventeen congressional Republicans signed a resolution on Wednesday vowing to seek “economically viable” ways to stave off global warming, challenging the stated views of President Donald Trump, who has called climate change a hoax.

Costco, the US retail group, and the copper miner Grupo Mexico have been named the worst laggards on human rights standards in a new ranking from Aviva Investors of firms on their respect for humanitarian ideals.

Schroders, Aviva Investors, and Standard Life Investments ranked 1, 3, and 5 respectively in ShareAction’s analysis of 40 major European asset managers. French groups also performed strongly, with Amundi, Natixis, and AXA all in the top ten.

By 646 votes to 39, with 13 abstentions, lawmakers approved the agreement reached with the Council during the three-way talks last December. Once the legislation enters into force, shareholders will be able to tie big bosses’ pay more closely to the company’s performance and long-term interests.

Starbucks says the bonds “will focus on enhancing its sustainability programmes around coffee supply chain management”. Some of the proceeds, for instance, will be used to purchase coffee from sustainable plantations.